The other day, I received an offer via e-mail for freelance translation services from a person who guaranteed almost 24 hour service (from 4 AM to midnight), a ridiculously low rate and an incredible return speed on completed projects.

This is incredible, indeed. In a market where freelancers are offering more and more business and services that are on the high end of technology and cater to the needs and busy schedules of entrepreneurs, such an offer says one thing to me: zero credibility.

Unless this freelancer is in fact a business owner with employees working on different shifts, how can he maintain such an offer at such a low rate? And even if this is the case, why offer such a low rate for true quality work?

The answer to this question can often be found by simply reading the projects that were done by this person. Quality and style are often seriously lacking, not to mention the mistakes that are left in the documents!

My rates are not among the highest. They are average. My services are not available 24h per day but I am flexible and have a keen sense of urgency and a great respect for deadlines. My speed is impressive, but I do take the time to produce a quality document that has been revised and that reflects my client’s image and needs.

I take great pride in my customer service and excellence is something you must pay for. Do not be influenced by so-called experts who offer you the moon and the sky in order to hook you, but on whom you cannot count to obtain a result that meets your needs and expectations, as well as what you deserve.

It’s amazing how many times I get this question when I tell people that I am a Virtual Assistant. What truly amazes me is that in this day and age of technology, computers, internet and high speed everything, there are still people who don’t get that this is a logical step in the work force and in smart business.

I have to repeat, slowly, that I am a Virtual Assistant, and then enumerate the things that I do. Sadly, they often end up cutting me off to say “Oh, so you’re a secretary…” or something equally as inappropriate. Well, yes, I AM a secretary of sorts. But I am also an entrepreneur, a businesswoman, an executive and an assistant. In my case, I am a translator, transcriber, ghostwriter, proofreader, corrector and event organizer at times. I am a bookkeeper, filing clerk, high speed typist, internet research wizard, networking newbie in the process of learning, website diva and so much more.

I am the present and the future of the work force. A great Virtual Assistant is definitely someone you need to get to know! Trust me, you will never regret it.

The Virtual Assistant also known as Matamich is giving herself a week off for a little vacation. Now, for most of you, vacation time is simply a given. Whether you are summer or winter people, sun worshippers, ski bunnies or beach babies, you expect to have some time off to relax, get away from the office and the work, rest, have fun and since many of you have paid vacation time as part of your employment deal, you don’t even have to fret about financial issues, urgent work popping up from clients who were unable to plan adequately when you informed them of your off time, new clients who pick this particular moment to “discover” you and want to get to know you better, or whatever else a self-owned freelance business can produce.

Despite all this, VAs are people too and they need their downtime in order to come back rested, energized and full of new and fantastic ways to help their clients, build their business and network with their fabulous colleagues.

This is why the Virtual Assistant also known as Matamich will be taking a few days off to vacation far from high speed internet, land lines, cell phone service and cable TV.

Or, let me be your ghostwriter! I am a Virtual Assistant who specializes in translation from English to French and vice versa. I also offer other services, but good translation is so specific and demanding, that I don’t always think to develop other niches. Recently, my VA mentor and friend suggested that since I love to write, I should offer ghostwriting services for people who have great ideas but no time to write them down or organize them. I also participated in a web seminar where ghostwriting was mentioned as a service that VAs could offer to their clients. What an excellent idea for me to develop!

I love to write. I have imagination, and am good with words. Who knows? Ghostwriting could even be the door to eventually getting some of my original work noticed and/or published?

Have you ever seen a grown man babysit a washing machine? I have. Recently my husband was fretting over the fact that the foam insert in his Quad helmet was rather smelly. He sweats, gets dusty and dirty and I suppose this protective insert just soaks up all the perspiration, hair products (yes, my husband uses hair products, doesn’t yours?) and whatnot. So, he asked me how he could wash it. I suggested that he first look at the instructions and either wash it by hand or put it in the washing machine in the delicate cycle with cold water.

He obviously did not trust me on this but he was also quite adamant about washing his helmet insert because, despite the fact that it was already 11 PM on a Tuesday night, he started the machine up. This was very surprising to me, since he is usually in bed by then and it was also against my better judgment, as the washing machine is quite loud and vibrates through the townhouse walls.

I was even more surprised to watch my husband stand beside the washer and open the lid every few seconds or so, basically babysitting the entire delicate cycle! Hmmm, I wonder if I could turn him on to house cleaning, perhaps if I put up some Quad posters on every wall.